1996 Edition

Description

three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side and the coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms has six yellow six-pointed stars (representing the mainland and five offshore islands) above a gray shield bearing a silk-cotton tree and below which is a scroll with the motto UNIDAD, PAZ, JUSTICIA (Unity, Peace, Justice)

Location

2 00 N, 10 00 E -- Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Cameroon and Gabon Flag ----

Area

comparative area

slightly larger than Maryland

land area

28,050 sq km

total area

28,050 sq km

Climate

tropical; always hot, humid

Coastline

296 km

Environment

current issues

tap water is not potable; desertification

international agreements

party to - Biodiversity, Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban; signed, but not ratified - Desertification, Law of the Sea

natural hazards

violent windstorms

Geographic coordinates

2 00 N, 10 00 E

Geographic note

insular and continental regions rather widely separated

International disputes

maritime boundary dispute with Gabon because of disputed sovereignty over islands in Corisco Bay

Irrigated land

NA sq km

Land boundaries

border countries

Cameroon 189 km, Gabon 350 km

total

539 km

Land use

arable land

8%

forest and woodland

51%

meadows and pastures

4%

other

33%

permanent crops

4%

Location

Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Cameroon and Gabon

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural resources

timber, petroleum, small unexploited deposits of gold, manganese, uranium

Terrain

coastal plains rise to interior hills; islands are volcanic

highest point

Mount Malabo 3,008 m

lowest point

Atlantic Ocean 0 m

Age structure

0-14 years: 43% (male 93,319; female 92,753) 15-64 years: 53% (male 108,706; female 120,129) 65 years and over: 4% (male 7,235; female 9,140) (July 1996 est.)

Birth rate

39.77 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate

14.01 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Ethnic divisions

Bioko (primarily Bubi, some Fernandinos), Rio Muni (primarily Fang), Europeans less than 1,000, mostly Spanish

Infant mortality rate

98 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Languages

Spanish (official), pidgin English, Fang, Bubi, Ibo

Life expectancy at birth

female

55.29 years (1996 est.)

male

50.79 years

total population

53.01 years

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.)

female

68.1%

male

89.6%

total population

78.5%

Nationality

adjective

Equatorial Guinean or Equatoguinean

noun

Equatorial Guinean(s) or Equatoguinean(s)

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Population

431,282 (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate

2.58% (1996 est.)

Religions

nominally Christian and predominantly Roman Catholic, pagan practices

Sex ratio

all ages

0.94 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

at birth

1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years

1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female

Total fertility rate

5.17 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Administrative divisions

7 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Annobon, Bioko Norte, Bioko Sur, Centro Sur, Kie-Ntem, Litoral, Wele-Nzas

Capital

Malabo

Constitution

new constitution 17 November 1991

Data code

EK

Diplomatic representation in US

chancery

(temporary) 57 Magnolia Avenue, Mount Vernon, NY 10553

chief of mission

Ambassador Pastor Micha ONDO BILE

telephone

[1] (914) 738-9584, 667-6913

Executive branch

cabinet

Council of Ministers appointed by the president

chief of state

President Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO (since 3 August 1979) election last held 25 February 1996 (next to be held NA February 2003); results - President OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO reelected to a seven-year term without opposition

head of government

Prime Minister Silvestre SIALE BILEKA (since 17 January 1992); Vice Prime Minister Anatolio NDONG MBA (since November 1993)

FAX

[1] (914) 667-6838

Flag

three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side and the coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms has six yellow six-pointed stars (representing the mainland and five offshore islands) above a gray shield bearing a silk-cotton tree and below which is a scroll with the motto UNIDAD, PAZ, JUSTICIA (Unity, Peace, Justice)

House of People's Representatives

(Camara de Representantes del Pueblo) elections last held 21 November 1993 (next to be held NA); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (82 total) PDGE 72, various opposition parties 10

Independence

12 October 1968 (from Spain)

International organization participation

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CEEAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAS (observer), OAU, UDEAC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WTrO (applicant)

Judicial branch

Supreme Tribunal

Legal system

partly based on Spanish civil law and tribal custom

Legislative branch

unicameral

Name of country

conventional long form

Republic of Equatorial Guinea

conventional short form

Equatorial Guinea

former

Spanish Guinea

local long form

Republica de Guinea Ecuatorial

local short form

Guinea Ecuatorial

National holiday

Independence Day, 12 October (1968)

Political parties and leaders

opposition parties

Progressive Democratic Alliance (ADP), Antonio-Ebang Mbele Abang, president; Popular Action of Equatorial Guinea (APGE),Casiano Masi Edu, leader; Liberal Democratic Convention (CLD), Alfonso Nsue MIFUMU, president; Convergence for Social Democracy (CPDS), Santiago Obama Ndong, president; Social Democratic and Popular Convergence (CSDP), Secundino Oyono Agueng Ada, general secretary; Party of the Social Democratic Coalition (PCSD), Buenaventura Moswi M'Asumu, general coordinater; Liberal Party (PL), Santos PASCUAL; Party of Progress (PP), Severo MOTO Nsa, president; Social Democratic Party (PSD), Benjamin-Gabriel Balingha Balinga Alene, general secretary; Socialist Party of Equatorial Guinea (PSGE), Tomas MICHEBE Fernandez, general secretary; National Democratic Union (UDENA), Jose MECHEBA Ikaka, president; Democratic Social Union (UDS), Camelo Modu, general secretary; Popular Union (UP), Juan Bitui, president

ruling party

Democratic Party for Equatorial Guinea (PDGE), Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO, party leader

Suffrage

NA years of age; universal adult

Type of government

republic in transition to multiparty democracy

US diplomatic representation

the US does not have an embassy in Equatorial Guinea (embassy closed September 1995); US relations with Equatorial Guinea are handled through the US Embassy in Yaounde, Cameroon

Agriculture

coffee, cocoa, rice, yams, cassava (tapioca), bananas, palm oil nuts, manioc; livestock; timber

Budget

expenditures

$35.9 million, including capital expenditures of $3 million (1992 est.)

revenues

$32.5 million

Currency

1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

Economic aid

recipient

ODA, $NA

Economic overview

Agriculture, forestry, and fishing account for about half of GDP and nearly all exports. Subsistence farming predominates. Although pre-independence Equatorial Guinea counted on cocoa production for hard currency earnings, the deterioration of the rural economy under successive brutal regimes has diminished potential for agriculture-led growth. A number of aid programs sponsored by the World Bank and the IMF have been cut off since 1993 because of the government's gross corruption and mismanagement. Businesses, for the most part, are owned by government officials and their family members. Undeveloped natural resources include titanium, iron ore, manganese, uranium, and alluvial gold. Oil exploration, taking place under concessions offered to US, French, and Spanish firms, has been moderately successful. In 1995, exports responded to the devaluation of 12 January 1994, apparently resulting in a sizable surplus and strong GDP growth. Increased production from recently discovered oil and natural gas fields will provide a greater share of exports in 1996-97.

Electricity

capacity

23,000 kW

consumption per capita

50 kWh (1993)

production

20 million kWh

Exchange rates

CFA francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 500.56 (January 1996), 499.15 (1995), 555.20 (1994), 283.16 (1993), 264.69 (1992), 282.11 (1991)

note

beginning 12 January 1994, the CFA franc was devalued to CFAF 100 per French franc from CFAF 50 at which it had been fixed since 1948

Exports

$62 million (f.o.b., 1993)

commodities

coffee, cocoa beans, timber, petroleum

partners

Spain, Nigeria, Cameroon, Japan, Portugal

External debt

$268 million (1993 est.)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

GDP

purchasing power parity - $325 million (1995 est.)

GDP composition by sector

agriculture

47%

industry

26%

services

27% (1993 est.)

GDP per capita

$800 (1995 est.)

GDP real growth rate

10% (1995 est.)

Imports

$60 million (f.o.b., 1993)

commodities

petroleum, food, beverages, clothing, machinery

partners

Cameroon, Spain, France, US, Italy, Netherlands

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

fishing, sawmilling

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

41% (1994 est.)

Labor force

172,000 (1986 est.)

by occupation

agriculture 66%, services 23%, industry 11% (1980)

note

labor shortages on plantations

Unemployment rate

NA%

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, Rapid Intervention Force, National Police

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $2.5 million, NA% of GDP (FY93/94)

Manpower availability

males age 15-49

92,704

males fit for military service

47,124 (1996 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0

Radios

NA

Telephone system

poor system with adequate government services

domestic

NA

international

international communications from Bata and Malabo to African and European countries; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)

Telephones

2,000 (1987 est.)

Television broadcast stations

1

Televisions

4,000 (1992 est.) Defense

Airports

total

3

with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m

1

with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m

1

with paved runways under 914 m

1 (1995 est.)

Highways

paved

330 km

total

2,744 km

unpaved

2,414 km (1988 est.)

Merchant marine

ships by type

cargo 1, passenger-cargo 1 (1995 est.)

total

2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,412 GRT/6,699 DWT

Ports

Bata, Luba, Malabo

Railways

total

0 km